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Read a sample: At this point, her older brother, Jayden, popped in, cricket bat in hand,
quickly drawing her into his ‘no nonsense’ world. “What are you doing, Ellie? Nothing, well come and throw some balls for
me. Cricket season is not far off.” “Jay,” said Ellie, returning to her previous thoughts. “I want to have an
adventure. Like in the books I read.” Leaning against the wall, spinning his bat on the polished floor, Jay
stood thinking. “Ellie, remember Nan telling us she said those same words to her dad years
ago and he told her that adventure was never far away. You just had to look for
what was happening around you and take notice of the people you met, or
something like that.” “But, Jay, I want to have a REAL adventure,” she whined. “Wasn’t that Nan’s reply to her dad?” Jay asked, chuckling. “How come you have such a good memory, even for boring stuff?” Ellie
questioned grumpily. “That’s because I’m smart,” he replied, ducking a tossed pillow. She
chased him outside, almost colliding with her little sister, Talia, who was
playing with their dog. Jayden and Arielle were good friends and 90% of the time enjoyed each
other’s company. The other 10% comprised of differing opinions from two
determined individuals, mostly on Arielle’s part. Jay loved sport almost as much
as he loved learning, excelling at both. However, he was also good-hearted and
protective of his sisters. Arielle, on the other hand, was not that interested
in her studies, preferring instead dancing, gymnastics and other active
pursuits. This seemed balanced by her love of books but maybe that was because,
while reading, she could still be active in her mind, reliving the adventures
over and over in her imagination. Mandy, their mum, called them for lunch, adding she had a surprise. That
was sure to get a quick response, even from Talia. Once they’d sat down, she
revealed the surprise. Nan had rung saying she would like them to come up to her
place for the school holidays. Talia immediately looked upset; she didn’t like
leaving her home. “Not you, darling,” said Mandy, quickly noticing the look. “Only Jay and
Ellie are going to Nan’s.” They looked at each other excitedly. Nan lived on the far North Coast near
the border of Queensland and it was the most magical place, or so Arielle
believed anyway. Her face lit up. She loved the world of fairies, elves, goblins
and wizards, firmly believing they inhabited Nan’s beautiful countryside. ‘What
better place than this to read her latest Harry Potter novel,’ she thought, for
sometimes the clouds that piled high behind the mountains resembled the turrets
of ‘Hogwarts’. This would make the story really come to life. The process of Jayden’s thinking was more down-to-earth. It would mean
leaving his friends and they had planned to do some cool stuff these holidays.
Anyhow, his best friend would also be away for some of the time, so he guessed
everything would work out well. After all, the idea of the ocean being very
close to Nan’s place meant lots of swimming and walks along the beach and you
never knew what you might find. One of the nice aspects of Jayden was his
ability to flow with whatever was happening at the time – without continual
objection. He had a very positive approach to life and this worked to his
advantage, as often surprises then occurred. Change also appealed to him, as he
needed stimulus for his active, inquiring mind. The remaining two weeks passed slowly, for with term exams behind them,
they now anxiously awaited the results. Of course, Jayden had done well and
Arielle was far ahead in reading and comprehension but way behind in her maths
report. Despite this, she could always get around her parents, particularly her
dad. He remembered once when she was only three and very angry with him for not
doing what she wanted. Pointing her tiny finger, she screamed, “You go to your
cot!” He could not stop laughing, so small yet so powerful, with a voice twice
her size, which she was not afraid to use. The last day of school finally arrived, along with Auntie Angie, who was
driving to Queensland to visit her sister and would drop them at Nan’s place on
the way. She was staying the night and tomorrow they would begin the long drive.
Excitedly they began packing, with Ellie stuffing her favourite clothes, books
and games into her bag and her mother quietly replacing them with items that
were more practical. Jay made extra sure he had his calculator and notebook, in
which he systematically recorded anything of special interest. Uncle Chris called in on his way home from work and a barbeque was
organised. After this, the adults sat around talking. It was bedtime but Ellie
did not feel at all tired. She pleaded to stay and listen. Like many youngsters,
Ellie and Jay loved the stories their parents told. Ellie hung onto every word,
particularly when the conversation turned to her dad’s own childhood. Mick and
Chris recalled how their brother, Tim, had designed this double-storey cubby
house, which together with their neighbours, they built in the bush behind their
home. Everyone camped there at the weekends, until the rangers eventually pulled
it down. However, not before they had shared many an adventure with their
friends. There had been exploration trips down into the valley, where someone
discovered a hidden pool beneath an overhanging rock. They remembered the great
yabbies in this pool but Auntie Angie’s memories were of the caves, in which she
was convinced lived shadowy creatures called ‘Yowies’. Her brothers scoffed at
this but did admit to hearing some harrowing wailing at night on a couple of
occasions. Once, Tim had even dared them to camp in the caves overnight but they
could not remember ever taking him up on this. When finally told to go to bed or they would never get up early enough,
Ellie whispered to Jay, “See, THEY had adventures, so why can’t we?” “Maybe, when it’s happening you think it’s just fun but looking back, it
becomes an adventure. Perhaps time makes the difference,” offered Jay, beginning
to feel very tired. “I don’t want a ‘maybe’ adventure; I want a REAL one,” Ellie argued, “real
and happening NOW!” She flopped on her bed irritably. The next morning the need was to leave early, as it was going to take
hours of driving. Angie, keen to get started, became brisk and pushy. Jay, of
course, was packed, ready and helping to organise the car, while Ellie rushed in
and out, grabbing anything and everything, making noise and mess at the same
time. Talia watched all this activity quietly, keeping at a safe distance, while
Mandy thought how she and Mick would need a strong cup of coffee when they had
finally gone. Before getting in the car, they hugged their parents and Talia
goodbye, with Ellie giving her mum one last hug. Saying goodbye was always hard
for her. As Angie was urging them to hurry, Harley, their small, black dog,
jumped in also. Mick tried to grab him but Ellie screwed up her face, begging, “Ple-e-ease
let him come.” Angie agreed. “It’ll be okay. He’ll be company for Mum’s dog, Kayla.” Ellie hugged Harley and he returned the favour by licking her face
happily. His bed and bowl were packed and, finally, with shouts, waves and
directions from their Mum, saying, “Don’t forget to help out and NO arguing,”
the holiday began!
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